


Love is Pure Poetry

by EnjoninePride



Category: Groundhog Day (1993), Groundhog Day - Minchin/Rubin
Genre: F/M, Family, Family time, Love, Rememberance, encounters, libraryday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 00:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16712593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnjoninePride/pseuds/EnjoninePride
Summary: Ned and his children head to the library, and a memory of his wife strikes him.(Sorry, bad at summaries)





	Love is Pure Poetry

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a little rusty in writing at the moment as I am currently in the Uni and haven't been in my writing mindset. Nevertheless I'm posting this on here in hopes that someone might like it. Here it is!

“Hang on! Hold up! Wait! Don’t run around in the library, boys! Jack! Jasper! That means you two!” Ned Ryerson warned to his sons as he watched them run inside to escape the snow. He held his daughter, Mary, in his arms while his other two boys were by his side.

“Yeah, dad!” the thirteen year old Jack exclaimed.

“Got it, dad!” the eleven year old Jasper added.

“I don’t want you to go far!” Ned told.

“Dad, we are in a library. And not a very big one! The only way they could go far is if they were to go outside.” Jaime, the oldest Ryerson child, told.

“I dunno, Jame. Jack always finds a way.” Joey, Ned’s second oldest son, explained to his brother.

Ned grinned at his son’s comment then looked back at Jack and Jasper.

“Just please behave yourselves, okay? This is a public library where people are reading and absorbing information.” he pleaded.

“Yeah! We don’t want to get kicked out because of your poor life decisions!” Joey directed to the young boys.

“Shut up, Joey!” Jack rolled his eyes at his brother.

“I promise, dad! I will be very quiet! Like a mouse!” Jasper exclaimed.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “I make no promises.”

“ _ Jack… _ ” Ned warned.

Jack rolled his eyes and joked, “I promise I’m not going to kill anyone if that’s what you are worried about.”

Ned smiled and chuckled. “Not at all! Now get going! Go pick a book or two!”

“Come on, Jas! Let’s go!” Jack pulled his brother along and the two of them disappeared behind the shelves of library books, searching for the graphic novels.

“I-I-I wanna go wif dem!” little Mary exclaimed as she pointed to where her brothers disappeared off to.

“But, don’t you want to stay with daddy?” Ned asked as he held his daughter in his arms, tightening his grip as if he feared she would fall.

“No, I wanna go wif-wif Dack and-and Daspeur.”

“How about me, Mare Bear?” Joey asked his little sister.

Little Mary smiled and hugged her father’s neck a little tighter.

“How about after we get a book, I’ll buy you a cookie. Does that sound good?”

Little Mary’s smile grew bigger. “Yeah!”

Jamie, Joey, and Ned giggled and her father kissed her cheek.

“Joey, go find yourself a book. Jamie, you too. I got your sister.” Ned told his boys.

“You sure, dad?” Jamie asked.

Ned nodded. “Go.”

“See you in a little bit. Bye, Mare Bear!” Joey said and he and Jaime headed into separate into two different directions.

“Remember to meet at the front desk!” Ned called out, but knowing his boys they were familiar with the drill.

“Come on, booboo! Let’s go get a book for you and daddy!” he cooed as he planted a little kiss on little Mary’s cheek. She giggled.

“I-I wanna tacholate tip tookie!” the little three year old exclaimed.

“I will get you a chocolate chip cookie, I promise!”

* * *

After looking through the shelves of the children’s section, the two of them settled on the same book the little Mary got last time,  _ Cordoroy.  _ In Ned’s defense, his daughter had the same stubbornness as her mother, so he really couldn’t argue with her enough to change her mind without making a scene. The book was also his wife’s favorite when she was little Mary’s age, so anything that could bring his daughter closer to her mother was fine by him.

Now it was Ned’s turn to pick out a book. He let little Mary walk in front of him as the two of them made their way to the poetry section. He hadn’t been to that part of the library since his wife’s passing. He expected to fall back into a depression, one that he knew he couldn’t let himself succumb to. Not when he was raising a sixteen, fifteen, thirteen, eleven, and three year old.

“Mare Bear! Booboo, hang on! Wait please!” Ned exclaimed as he noticed his little girl about to leave the shelving area.

Little Mary looked over to her father. “But-but I’s gots my-my boots a’ready!”

Ned took her small hand into his large one. “Yeah, but I need one also! Do you want to help me pick one out?”

“Otay.” His daughter said and he picked her up, resting the curly red-headed three year old on his hip.

“Okay, goober! Let’s look!” exclaimed as he searched for a good poetry book.

“’Dis one!” little Mary told as her pudgy little fingers pointed a small, marron covered book.

Ned smiled. “Good eye, booboo! Do you want to help me get it?”

Little Mary reached over as far as her little arms would allow her, trying to pull the book out of the shelf. Ned pulled it out enough so she could get a good grasp on it.

“I did it! I did it!” the little girl cheered.

“You did! Great job sweetie!” Ned kissed her messy head. “Do you want to go down?”

Little Mary nodded and was put down, feet touching the floor. She handed her father the book and began to explore a few shelves that held more books, leaving Ned in the company of the piece of literature that laid in hands.

           He took a deep breath. His body tingled all over as his fingers felt the old worn out cover. He was quite surprised at his daughter’s choice. This book brought back so many memories. 

Ned flipped through the book until he found it, his favorite poem. He ran his fingers over the words, almost as if he could feel them come to life. The poem by Edward Cooke seemed to be the only thing in this world that Ned could relate to. Without him realizing it, a memory washed over him.

* * *

 

_ Cleveland, OH  _

_ 17 years ago _

 

    Ned felt someone bump into the back of him.

  I’m sorry, sir!” apologized the voice.

   Ned swung around and immediately his stomach dropped.

  He had bumped into Mary, the pretty little red headed lady who worked at the local diner near his office. Ned may have always seen her when she worked at the diner, but this was the first time he had seen her outside of work. She was wearing her red plaid shirt and blue jeans with her green coat in the crook of her arm. Her hair was braided into a ponytail and she wore a very light shade of blush on her cheeks. Ned swore he had never seen such loveliness in a woman than how Mary seemed to present herself.

Mary’s eyes widen with surprise. “Hey! Ned! How are you?” she asked.

A million things rushed into his insurance filled brain, he couldn’t think straight.

Mary-Jean Marshall. It was no secret to the other guys at the insurance firm Ned worked at that he had quite a big crush on this woman, and it seemed to him that with every encounter he had with her (which were not many) he was either at a loss for words, or had an excessive amount of words to say to her.

What would it be this time, he was unsure.

“Mary! Hi! I’m doing well.”

The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds before Ned asked, “Off today?”

Mary nodded.

“You look very nice.” He said to her.

“Thank you. You look nice as well.” She said to him.

Ned beamed at her.

“The blizzard caught you unawares?”

Mary nodded again, clutching the books she had to her chest.

“Well, I mean…that’s what you get for living in Cleveland…”

“The great American city!” Ned blurted.

Mary smiled and chuckled. “Exactly! Well, I might as well get some reading done until the storm passes...hopefully… I hate walking in snow storms.”

“Me too! You know, statistically, about 25% of deaths are caused by snowstorms?”

_ Real smooth, Neddy! Real smooth!  _ He thought sarcastically.

“Say, um…what books have you got there?” Ned asked trying to change the subject in hopes that Mary wouldn’t notice.

“Some works by H.G. Wells. He’s my favorite author.” she told.

“He wrote  _ War of the Worlds,  _ right?”

Mary nodded. “As well as  _ The Time Machine  _ and  _ The Invisible Man _ .”

“You don’t seem like a woman who would like science-fiction.” Ned confessed.

“I surprise people, sometimes.” Mary shrugged. “You seem to be in the perfect spot. Poetry. My father always said ‘Death is pure poetry’, you usually have a lot to go off of when in grief. I mean, you have a lot to go off of when you are in love too...anyways, that’s what he said at least.”

“He’s kind of right.” Ned noted.

“I love poetry. It’s just…such a delight to read. Every word written down is an emotion, breathing life into the work. It’s like the cooling ripples in a pond, or the chirping of birds on a quiet spring morning, just irresistible to the human senses.” 

_ Wow. That was so hot.  _ Ned thought, trying his best not to blurt it out.

Mary tried to peek at what he was reading. “What poem do you have?”

Ned was a little embarrassed to share, but slowly he opened the book and read out loud the title,  _ How Did You Die? _

Mary bit her lip, which Ned found quite adorable.

“Never heard of that one.”

Ned’s face sort of brightened up. This could be a chance for him to share something they both liked, her love for poetry and his love for this particular one.

“It’s quite a good one! I think you might rather enjoy it!”

She smiled at him. “You think so?”

“BING!” Ned blurted out.

“Shhh!” exclaimed a librarian who was organizing some books on the shelf next to them.

Mary laughed, making a little snorting sound as she laughed.

Ned blushed.

_ What an intoxicating laugh! _

“Well then I believe you! How about you tell me about that poem you like?”

Mary walked over to a nearby table and pulled two seats out for her and Ned to sit down in.

Ned opened the book again and turned to his poem.

“Well, this poem is special to me for a number of reasons. The title is pretty dark and morose, but when you read it through it is actually quite beautiful. I guess it is sort of a don’t-judge-a-poem-by-its-title thing. It’s just...the way how Cooke flows his words together in such a gorgeous way, the words just stick with you.”

Mary looked very engrossed in what was Ned saying, it nearly made him blush.

“Also, I can kind of relate to this poem to myself and my life.” he quickly added.

“Could you read it to me?” she asked.

Ned grinned and nodded. His eyes scanned the words careful before reciting them.

_ Did you tackle that trouble that came your way _

_ With a resolute heart and cheerful? _

_ Or hide your face from the light of day _

_ With a craven soul and fearful? _

_ Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce, _

_ Or a trouble is what you make it, _

_ And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, _

_ But only how did you take it? _

  
  


_ You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what's that? _

_ Come up with a smiling face. _

_ It's nothing against you to fall down flat, _

_ But to lie there -- that's disgrace. _

_ The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce; _

_ Be proud of your blackened eye! _

_ It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts, _

_ It's how did you fight --  and why? _

  
  


_ And though you be done to the death, what then? _

_ If you battled the best you could, _

_ If you played your part in the world of men, _

_ Why, the Critic will call it good. _

_ Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce, _

_ And whether he's slow or spry, _

_ It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts, _

_ But only how did you die? _

When Ned finished, he looked to see Mary with an image of awe plastered onto her face. It took her a minute to process what she had just listened to, until she finally found her words.

“That  _ was  _ beautiful. Thank you.” she told.

“Of course.” Ned responded.

“You know that line  _ Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce _ ? It kind of reminds me of your insurance jingle.”

Ned gave her a surprised look.

“How so?” he asked.

“ _ Death will come to everyone. _ ” Mary sang.

The two of them shared a giggle before Ned responded with, “I see what you mean.”

Suddenly, Mary had an epiphany. “Oh my God.” she said.

“What?” Ned asked.

Mary looked at him with such a bright sense of realization. “Your name!”

“What about my name?”

Mary grinned. “Ned is old English meaning ‘guardian’ or ‘protector’. You sell insurance which was made to ‘protect’ people! So that means you fit your profession as a protector!”

Ned chuckled. “I never thought of that. Very observant of you!”

“No, it’s more of a stupid dog trick I have. Making connections out of the strangest things.” Mary said embarrassingly.

Ned put his hand on top of her’s. “I don’t think it’s stupid. I think it’s beautiful.”

The two of them gazed into each other’s eyes. Ned could feel butterflies in his stomach and a blush creeping onto his face as he looked into her lovely blue eyes. Mary was seeming to amaze him the more he saw her. He could feel himself shake at the fact that she didn’t want to pull away. Mary’s cheeks began to turn rosie pink and a smile crept onto her face.

As soon as the moment started, Mary quickly removed her hand from his.

“You know, I-I should be going. I want to get some reading done before the storm ends and I’ve already reached my borrowing limit.”

Ned stood up at the same time as Mary did.

“Oh! Of course! Say, could I buy you a coffee?” he stuttered.

Mary faced him, her cheeks completely red now. “I would love to, but I just had some earlier. Not today, Ned. I’m sorry.”

Ned frowned, his heart seeming to ache with her rejection.

“But if you come by the diner tomorrow at 2:30, I’ll be on break. You can buy me a coffee then.” Mary added.

Ned’s heart fluttered at her comment.  _ Tomorrow! _

“Will that work?” she asked.

“BING!” Ned blurted out, making Mary laugh again.

“I have to go. It was nice talking with you, Ned!” she said.

“You too!” Ned breathed.

As Mary left, Ned could feel his whole body tingle with excitement.  _ Tomorrow. _

* * *

 

“Daddy! Daddy! Daimy is dere!” Little Mary exclaimed as her big brother walked over to their section.

Ned looked up and slightly panicked.  _ Was something wrong? Did he space out for longer than he thought? _

“Hey, dad!” Jaime said, passing his sister and ruffling her red curls.

Ned quickly closed the book. “Hiya, Jamie! Something wrong?”

“Damiy is a poo poo monty!” Litlle Mary laughed, slightly snorting with every giggle.

Jamie turned to her and wrinkled his nose. “I am not a poo poo monkey! You are!”

“No! Do are!” she laughed again.

“No, I think  _ you  _ are!” Ned said to his daughter.

Little Mary laughed again and ran over to hug her father’s leg.

“Something wrong, Jamie?” Ned asked again.

“Huh?...Oh no, dad! I just thought I’d try a different genre that’s all. Why? Did something happen?” his son asked.

“No no! It’s just…” Ned thought a little bit before blurting out the face that he was spacing out, think of the kid’s mother.

“Nothing. It was nothing.”

“You were thinking about her again, weren’t you? Mom?” Jamie questioned.

Ned slightly nodded.

He looked down at the poetry book in his hands and smiled, thinking of the memory that he had shared with his wife in the Cleveland library.

“You know, I shared this book with your mother, way before we even started dating. That’s when I found out she loved poetry. That’s when I knew that there was something about her that made me really feel...content.”

Jamie took the book from his father’s hands and flipped through the pages.

“Nice. Could I borrow it or did you want it?”

“Go ahead! Borrow it! I can find something else!” Ned exclaimed.

“Are you sure, dad?” Jamie asked.

Ned placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Of course! I want you to have little piece of your mother with you.”

Jamie smiled at his father, then said, “You know you are going to have to tell me that story.”

“What story?”

“About you and mom and this book!”

“Oh, Jamie! You don’t want to hear that story!” Ned chuckled as he picked up little Mary.

“Ahh yeah I do! Believe it or not dad, I find your’s and mom’s story to be a really sweet one. I might just want to make a novel out of it.”

Ned smiled, almost on the verge of tears. Oh how he loved his family, especially the way they knew how to make his day a whole lot brighter.

“There you are! We’ve been waiting at the counter for like a gabzillion years!” Jack complained as he, Joey, and Jasper turned into the poetry section.

Jamie looked at his wrist watch. “We’ve only been here for thirty minutes…”

“Well, that just means they knew what to look for, am I right or am I right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right?” Ned exclaimed, bouncing little Mary on his hip. Little Mary giggled.

“ _ Daaad.”  _ Jack whined, feeling sort of embarrassed at his father’s actions.

“Can we go now? I want to read my book so I can see the movie version of it!” Jasper commented holding his novel up.

“You can give me the library cards dad and we can rent our books out if you still need time.”

Ned looked over at the poetry shelf again, soaking in small memories of he and Mary looking through the books, picking out their favorite poems. Her smile when Ned would find a great one.

He looked back at his children and smiled. “We can head out, but before we do…”

Ned glanced over to his little girl in his arms. “I believe I promised someone a cookie.”

Little Mary’s blue eyes brightened up at her father’s words.

“I-I wanna tacholate tip tookie!” she exclaimed.

“Oooo! I want one too!” Jasper commented.

“Me too!” Joey added

“I want one!” Jack chimed in.

“I could use one, and good cup of hot chocolate.” Jamie told.

“Alrighty then! How about you boys head to the counter and then we will be on our merry way!” Ned exclaimed.

“YUS!” Jack and Jasper cheered and ran to the counter.

Joey rolled his eyes. “I’ll watch them.” and he left to make sure his brothers didn’t break anything.

Ned turned to his eldest. 

“Jamie? Could you take your sister? I’ll be there in a minute.” he handed little Mary to his son.

As Jamie was about to leave with his sister, he turned back to Ned.

“Dad, don’t worry. Take all the time you need, okay?”

His father grinned. “I won’t be long.”

Little Mary pointed at Ned.

“Daddy!”

“Daddy will come soon, okay? Come on! Let’s catch up with the others.”

As soon as they left, Ned took a deep breath.

He was quite surprised that he didn’t relapse into depression, but at the same time, he felt hard pressed in the back of  his mind. He knew Mary would never want him to dwell on her death, but it was still hard to let go.

Ned missed her with all his heart and he knew his children missed her too. But he knew she wasn’t completely gone. He still had the memories they shared for the last fifteen years of their marriage. He could feel her presence wherever he went. He had Jaime, Joey, Jack, Jasper, and little Mary, their children. He could see his wife in their smiles, in antics, in their eyes.

Ned took another deep breath and closed his eyes. He could see her smiling face, feel the warm glow that emitted from her beauty. That was enough to fill his spirit with happiness and when he would get back to his children, they would build on top of that happiness. 

Ned grinned and opened his eyes again. He slowly glanced around the poetry section one more time, as if it were an old friend, before heading out to the counter to meet back up with his kids

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


End file.
